"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given..." (Isaiah 9:6)

The night Jesus was born, a son was given. God so loved the world, he sent his only Son (John 3:16). Jesus' birth as a baby was God's gift to humanity. He gave His Son. A son was given.

But what does the giving of the Son say of God? When the Trinitarian God gave the Son, it was the costliest of gifts. The blood of bulls and goats could not remove the stain of sin in mankind. Only the precious blood of the Son could wash away our unholiness, so the Father, Spirit, and Son conspired to bring forth the Son for us. When the child was born, a son was given. The giving of the Son shows us the radical desire of God to rectify the wrongdoing of humanity and bring us back into fellowship with Himself.

But what does the giving of the Son say about you? We were despairing and lost, separated from the God who made us. But the gift of the Son, and his sacrifice on the cross with his death in our place, provides the path forward for our reconciliation. By Jesus' substitutionary death and resurrection, we are set free, brought back into the family of God. The enmity is over, we now have peace with God. By Christ's blood, we are children of God. The giving of the Son made the way for us to become the sons and daughters of the living God. The giving of the Son says we are loved and accepted by God.

And what does the giving of the Son say about our world? That only Jesus is the answer. The great darkness humanity toils under, the brokenness and desperation common in our struggle, is alleviated in Christ Jesus. Jesus is "the true light, which enlightens everyone" (John 1:9). Everyone who receives him by believing in his name gets the right to be called children of God (John 1:12). As Paul said, Jesus turns us from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God by offering the forgiveness of sins (Acts 26:18). The giving of the Son shows us the world's great need for the Savior, and it speaks of God's great love for our world.

So we rejoice -- when Jesus lay in that manger over two thousand years ago, he slept not only as a child but as a given son. The Father had given His Son; God had conspired to save us. And upon him lies all the hope of every Christian.